Bacteria and fungi (mold) are liable to badly odorize, stain and deteriorate fiber products, and cause human health hazards, resulting in immeasurable human losses and economic losses. Particularly, MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus which is resistant to methicillin antibiotics) which occurred in the United Kingdom in 1981 thereafter spread throughout the world to cause hospital infections. Recently, multiple drug-resistant bacteria which are resistant to various antibiotics such as methicillins, macrolides, quinones and β-lactams have shocked medical professionals. Further, mycosis caused by specific fungi (terminal cancer patients, AIDS patients and immunodeficient patients administered with anticancer drugs or steroid drugs are liable to suffer from infection of their internal organs and brains with the fungi) are of serious concern to medical professionals.
In order to prevent damage from the bacteria and the fungi, studies have been conducted on methods of incorporating antibacterial and antifungal compounds in fiber products such as bedding materials and garments, household articles, industrial materials and the like and maintaining water resistance, laundry durability and other effects of these products. Some of these methods have been put into practical use.
For example, a carpet structure having antibacterial, antifungal, deodorant and insect-repellant functions has been proposed, which is produced by kneading silver ion-containing soluble glass and a polyolefin resin together, forming the resulting mixture into a nonwoven fabric, and stacking the nonwoven fabric on a carpet (see PTL 1). However, the carpet structure does not have sufficient effects, because fibers of the carpet of the carpet structure are not directly imparted with antibacterial and antifungal properties.
On the other hand, a fiber product finishing method is known in which a fiber product requiring a laundry durability is resin-treated with a quaternary ammonium salt compound, an antibacterial cationic guanidine compound, a polycarboxylic acid and a crosslinking agent (see PTL 2). This finishing method imparts the fiber product only with the antibacterial property, and its antifungal property imparting effect is unknown. Further, the effective antibacterial component is removed together with the resin from the fiber product when the fiber product is repeatedly laundered. Problematically, the antibacterial property is lost with time. Further, the resin treatment hardens the fiber product to deteriorate the texture and the air permeability of the fiber product.